Apple users: Get to know these Microsoft 365 solutions to improve collaboration, productivity and more

3 years ago 485

Microsoft 365 apps and services aren't conscionable for Windows users. Apple users tin wield the aforesaid potent tools utilizing web-based interfaces and adjacent a assortment of Mac, iPad and iPhone apps. Here's how.

Microsoft 365 subscription plans offer a assortment of solutions to Apple users. Whether utilizing iPadOS, iOS oregon macOS, a operation of locally installed and cloud-based Microsoft programs extends the scope of galore almighty Microsoft applications including for those professionals utilizing iPads, iPhones and Macs.

SEE: 83 Excel tips each idiosyncratic should master (TechRepublic)

Most Apple users are acquainted with Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Microsoft's equivalent of Apple's Pages, Numbers and Keynote programs. Outlook, of course, is Microsoft's reply to Apple Mail. Those productivity tools are straightforward and disposable to Apple users with the due Microsoft 365 subscription, whether utilizing a mobile Apple instrumentality oregon a Mac desktop oregon laptop. Numerous different tools, however, are besides disposable to Apple users possessing the due Microsoft 365 subscription. Here's however different fashionable Microsoft 365 solutions—which connection an awesome and potent scope of capabilities—work.

Bookings

Available arsenic a mobile iPad and iPhone app and arsenic a web-based solution for Mac users with Premium Microsoft 365 subscriptions, Bookings assists scheduling meetings and appointments. The Microsoft 365 app enables creating a customizable web leafage organizations tin supply customers permitting clients to reserve their ain work appointments. Bookings besides provides a dedicated calendar and automated reminders for customers and unit to assistance adhd efficiencies by discouraging missed appointments.

MyAnalytics

Imagine a plug-in that monitors your enactment patterns—including wrong Microsoft Outlook—to assistance enhancing productivity portion besides expanding absorption and wellbeing and guarding against unnecessary accent and burnout. That's conscionable what Microsoft's MyAnalytics does whether you're moving from an iPad, iPhone oregon Mac, fixed the opportunity. The instrumentality assists users by mounting speech regular opportunities, oregon blocks of time, to absorption and execute important work. MyAnalytics tin besides soundlessness Teams and Skype for Business interruptions, shorten circumstantial meetings and hold sending circumstantial email messages to amended lucifer users' moving patterns. The program, disposable with a assortment of Microsoft plans, includes antithetic features depending upon the plan successful place.

SEE: How to marque less mistakes and enactment much efficiently utilizing predictive substance successful Microsoft 365 (TechRepublic)

OneDrive

Available with Microsoft 365 subscription plans, OneDrive (as shown in Figure A) is Microsoft's cloud-storage service. Files created wrong different Microsoft 365 tools—including Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint and Word—and adjacent different programs tin easy beryllium stored wrong OneDrive. Whether utilizing an iPad, iPhone oregon Mac, each for which integrated OneDrive apps are available, the unreality work provides important online record retention of up to 6TB for a Microsoft 365 Family program and 1TB per idiosyncratic for concern plans.

Planner

Available to Premium, Business and Educational program members, Planner simplifies coordinating tasks betwixt squad members and updating the presumption of assorted assigned responsibilities. By providing some a web interface and a dedicated mobile app for iPhone and iPad users, Microsoft 365 extends for Apple users the aforesaid powerfulness and functionality of Planner's Windows version. Planner's Kanban committee functionality enables creating feature-packed task cards to which users tin connect files, named owners, notes, checklists, comments, owed dates and more.

Power Apps

Power Apps, by supporting the transportation of galore information sources wrong the Microsoft Dataverse, enables developers to make minimally coded apps possessing precocious functionality, including by utilizing integrated artificial intelligence components. A commissioned survey conducted by Forrester Consulting recovered organizations utilizing Power Apps measurably reduced costs and improved efficiency. For example, Mac users tin pat the Power Apps web interface, portion iPad and iPhone users tin usage the dedicated mobile iOS and iPadOS app counterparts, to physique automated processes that access, seizure and contiguous circumstantial concern accusation successful unsocial ways, each with minimal coding expertise, conscionable arsenic Ikea Sweden did improving lawsuit kitchen-purchasing experiences by amended leveraging income data. Power Apps is disposable to Microsoft 365 concern program subscribers for $10 per idiosyncratic per period (with a 1 app per idiosyncratic limit) oregon $40 per idiosyncratic per period (for unlimited apps per user).

Power Automate

Microsoft 365's Power Automate helps organizations automatically implicit repetitive tasks and physics workflows. Take Coca-Cola for example, which implemented Power Automate to streamline unwieldy bid and invoicing procedures. Like Power Apps, Power Automate permits utilizing low-code tools and galore prebuilt connectors to prevention clip by eliminating the request for manual processes and enhancing workflows by leveraging AI capabilities. Whether utilizing the web app with a Mac oregon the dedicated iOS oregon iPadOS counterpart, Power Automate extends to Apple users the quality to make and negociate information flows and analytics. Power Automate is disposable to Microsoft 365 concern program subscribers for $15 per idiosyncratic per period (enabling the idiosyncratic to tally unlimited workflows) oregon starting astatine $500 per period (for 5 flows and without the request to licence each extremity user).

Power BI

Power BI is Microsoft 365's self-service enterprise-grade information concern analytics solution. Power BI's bundle and connectors licence collecting unrelated information inputs to make interactive results and contiguous visually analyzable accusation and reports successful thoughtful ways that make meaningful insights. As with Power Apps and Power Automate, Apple users tin entree a web interface oregon usage Microsoft's dedicated iPad and iPhone app, arsenic the Meijer market concatenation did utilizing the solution's self-service analytics to amended real-time inventory and income reporting. Power BI is priced a small otherwise than immoderate different Microsoft 365 features, arsenic pricing is constructed per idiosyncratic oregon per capableness depending upon the program and enactment needs. More pricing accusation is disposable on Microsoft's site.

SharePoint

Imagine an iPhone and iPad app and Mac web interface that permits creating, managing and publishing intranet resources teams tin usage to securely store and stock files, supply updates, coordinate squad activities and way information, which is what SharePoint (as shown in Figure B) does. Takeda Pharmaceuticals is just one example of thousands of organizations that person built SharePoint sites to link employees, align goals and amended connection betwixt departments. SharePoint services, themselves, are an further outgo to a Microsoft 365 subscription, with existent expenses varying depending connected program and committedness term. More SharePoint pricing accusation is disposable on Microsoft's site.

Teams

With dedicated apps for Mac, iPad and iPhone users, professionals utilizing Apple hardware tin docket and behaviour video league calls (including with members extracurricular their organization), make dedicated squad environments for assorted departments, securely store files and support chat sessions betwixt members using Teams. Marketed arsenic a "team-based workspace," Teams became a captious constituent for galore organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a centralized assets for users to promote collaboration and connection among squad members moving from antithetic locations, portion besides extending the quality to big audio and video conferences. Some Teams features, specified arsenic gathering for conscionable 1 hr and having up to 10GB of record retention capacity, are disposable free, whereas greater subordinate and gathering duration limits are extended with upgraded subscription plans, details of which are disposable on Microsoft's site.

SEE: Build customized Microsoft Teams apps with the caller Teams Developer Portal (TechRepublic)

Microsoft 365 delivers precocious worth for Apple professionals

Remember, portion these Microsoft 365 solutions are among the astir fashionable subscription program offerings and present important benefits, these are conscionable immoderate of Microsoft's solutions, and others include Azure, Project, Sway and Yammer. With dedicated section apps—including for desktop/laptop hardware and mobile platforms—and web-based compatibility for others, depending upon the program, Apple users tin instrumentality vantage of the awesome tools, features and capabilities Microsoft 365 plans provide. Taking conscionable a fewer minutes to familiarize yourself with existing Microsoft 365 plans and the apps and services disposable tin wage important dividends acold into the aboriginal and, successful galore cases, astatine nary further cost, depending upon the plans already successful place.